Ear to the ground

Water John · 12-12-2019 10:02pm

I was fine with the butcher segment. This is where meat comes from.

Anto_Meath · 12-12-2019 10:30pm

That butcher has an excellent reputation as 1 of the best suppliers of meat in the area. I think it was shown ok.

Odelay · 12-12-2019 10:42pm

Anto_Meath wrote: »

That butcher has an excellent reputation as 1 of the best suppliers of meat in the area. I think it was shown ok.

Looked good to me. Looked like he has super facilities for animal care. Hope he keeps going

older by the day · 12-12-2019 11:03pm

Odelay wrote: »

Looked good to me. Looked like he has super facilities for animal care. Hope he keeps going

I know the place was A1. But I'm here trying to tell my kids to eat there meat and my youngest he's 4, was all questions when that was on

Castlekeeper · 16-12-2019 7:40pm

older by the day wrote: »

I know the place was A1. But I'm here trying to tell my kids to eat there meat and my youngest he's 4, was all questions when that was on

And we're you able to answer them? Living things eat other living things, sometimes alive, sometimes dead (plants included), show him a spider catching a fly. I've never come across a toddler that didn't get the basics of life, death, and food once explained in a fortright manner.
The troubles start with disconnection from, and pussyfooting around, the whole system.

whelan2 · 13-02-2020 8:08pm

Anyone watching. That's the vets I use

Gods Gift · 13-02-2020 8:22pm

Where do I get seed for rushes.
Have a few acres for them.

kerryjack · 13-02-2020 8:23pm

Finely money in rushes.

kerryjack · 13-02-2020 9:21pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Anyone watching. That's the vets I use

I thought the cow was a goner, she must be young enough, I would say there was a few grones around the country when the vet opened up the bulls testicals you wouldn't want to be sitting down to a bit of white pudding for the tae.

whelan2 · 13-02-2020 9:31pm

kerryjack wrote: »

I thought the cow was a goner, she must be young enough, I would say there was a few grones around the country when the vet opened up the bulls testicals you wouldn't want to be sitting down to a bit of white pudding for the tae.

We were in the local for our tea and the people at the next table asked for it to be turned off

Birdnuts · 13-02-2020 11:11pm

kerryjack wrote: »

Finely money in rushes.

Tommy Keanes farm in Leitrim where I attended a course late last year has been using rushes for bedding and heating for a number of years now - its sad though that the likes of Teagasc haven't done a tap in this area given its potential for farmers in many marginal areas

orchard farm · 14-02-2020 1:07am

I wonder does the burning completly kill the rush seed,stoped using rushes for bedding here cause it was only spreading seed and making problem worse

alps · 14-02-2020 11:32am

Birdnuts wrote: »

Tommy Keanes farm in Leitrim where I attended a course late last year has been using rushes for bedding and heating for a number of years now - its sad though that the likes of Teagasc haven't done a tap in this area given its potential for farmers in many marginal areas

Quiet an amount of work done by teagasc is as a result of farmer demand and lobbying. Are there results from this usage that you would like determined? Can you envisage a trial that could be set up to provide such results? Have you been turned down to have such a trial be set up?

Donegalforever · 14-02-2020 9:35pm

Birdnuts wrote: »

Tommy Keanes farm in Leitrim where I attended a course late last year has been using rushes for bedding and heating for a number of years now - its sad though that the likes of Teagasc haven't done a tap in this area given its potential for farmers in many marginal areas

Would using rushes for bedding not be a sure way of spreading rushes?
The seeds, (if not removed from the rushes), would get mixed with dung and if subsequently spread on land would almost certainly help rushes to invade.

Gods Gift · 14-02-2020 9:58pm

The really good summer of 18 we mowed off, and made hay on a neighbour field that was full of rushes. We got 210 mchale bales. The patches that were heavy of rushes were kept for bedding and the rest were offered to the cows to eat what they wanted and rest threw under them. Loved the sweet grass and the dung was spread before ploughing for beet. No rushes yet and only got spread out with haybob. Still have a few still. Pinkeye was a problem though rooting through it for the grass.

Birdnuts · 14-02-2020 10:39pm

alps wrote: »

Quiet an amount of work done by teagasc is as a result of farmer demand and lobbying. Are there results from this usage that you would like determined? Can you envisage a trial that could be set up to provide such results? Have you been turned down to have such a trial be set up?

Their agenda appears to be driven exclusively by big agri-business in terms of a concentration on intensive dairy etc. very little heed paid to the needs of farmers in marginal areas and sustaineable production methods that are becoming more and more relevant in terms of the future CAP and public demand. The likes of the Natura farmers group have pointed this out time and time again

alps · 14-02-2020 10:49pm

Birdnuts wrote: »

Their agenda appears to be driven exclusively by big agri-business in terms of a concentration on intensive dairy etc. very little heed paid to the needs of farmers in marginal areas and sustaineable production methods that are becoming more and more relevant in terms of the future CAP and public demand. The likes of the Natura farmers group have pointed this out time and time again

Need to get in someone's ear about it. Dairy lads are paying a levy towards a range of different trials, so this links to your experience. The board of teagasc is the place to lobby if you can at all get hold of one of them...

Water John · 14-02-2020 10:54pm

Give Liam Woulfe a ring so.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 15-02-2020 12:30am

Gods Gift wrote: »

The really good summer of 18 we mowed off, and made hay on a neighbour field that was full of rushes. We got 210 mchale bales. The patches that were heavy of rushes were kept for bedding and the rest were offered to the cows to eat what they wanted and rest threw under them. Loved the sweet grass and the dung was spread before ploughing for beet. No rushes yet and only got spread out with haybob. Still have a few still. Pinkeye was a problem though rooting through it for the grass.

We did similar to bring a field back into production. The down side is rushed are really poor for bedding cattle on. No soakage but no problems with rushes when spread afterwards either.

Say my name · 15-02-2020 1:33am

The RTE player really is useless.

It wouldn't load to watch it yesterday still got to watch about 12 ads.
So I watched it today. The biochar cooperative have noble aims. Whatever costs would be taken in administration?

But it's seriously easy to make char yourself. And more than likely if you have the resources to make it you'll have the use for it too.
Only thing I noted their kiln was a bit high to feed into. And no sprongs were being used. I got the plans for mine off a site in the U.S. that had developed pyramid kilns and the euro hitch for the loader was an essential addition for me. There's no point being a busy fool with a shovel.
If anyone wants the measurements of it send me on a private message.

But the process is simple. Set fire to a layer wait till it barely turns to ash on top. Then add another layer of feedstock and repeat and repeat till you reach the top or where ever if you don't want a full load.
Then turn on the tap with a pipe connected to an ibc tank that should be on a height higher than the kiln.
And when quenched you can lift the whole lot water and all and tip it in your slurry tanks.

You can give the char a bit of a poke around with something when it's cooking to break it into smaller bits if you want.

But yea not a bad piece on it. Carbon storage, ammonia trapping, land treatment and even ruminant addition to diet. It was all covered.
Me health and safety buddies would love all that especially the slurry stuff.

alps · 15-02-2020 1:44am

Say my name wrote: »

The RTE player really is useless.

It wouldn't load to watch it yesterday still got to watch about 12 ads.
So I watched it today. The biochar cooperative have noble aims. Whatever costs would be taken in administration?

But it's seriously easy to make char yourself. And more than likely if you have the resources to make it you'll have the use for it too.
Only thing I noted their kiln was a bit high to feed into. And no sprongs were being used. I got the plans for mine off a site in the U.S. that had developed pyramid kilns and the euro hitch for the loader was an essential addition for me. There's no point being a busy fool with a shovel.
If anyone wants the measurements of it send me on a private message.

But the process is simple. Set fire to a layer wait till it barely turns to ash on top. Then add another layer of feedstock and repeat and repeat till you reach the top or where ever if you don't want a full load.
Then turn on the tap with a pipe connected to an ibc tank that should be on a height higher than the kiln.
And when quenched you can lift the whole lot water and all and tip it in your slurry tanks.

You can give the char a bit of a poke around with something when it's cooking to break it into smaller bits if you want.

But yea not a bad piece on it. Carbon storage, ammonia trapping, land treatment and even ruminant addition to diet. It was all covered.
Me health and safety buddies would love all that especially the slurry stuff.

What area of ground could you cover with one load of your char, that you would say you've maxed out it's benefit?

Say my name · 15-02-2020 9:52am

alps wrote: »

What area of ground could you cover with one load of your char, that you would say you've maxed out it's benefit?

Honestly I don't know.

The idea at the moment is just add it to the slurry tank. It's a big tank so I doubt I'll have enough made for it. Then if I thought it was there's a dung heap to take it and if that was there's calf pens and the other bedding areas.
Max per acre would never enter my head.
Dung is produced every year so it be constantly needed every year. The worms will mix it into the deeper layers.

There's studies been done but they all use naked char that's never been mixed or innoculated with any compost or biological sources. And then the biochar word is bandied about when it's all different char when made from different biomass. The only studies that have positive results for chars at the heavy rates are chars made from manure. The charing concentrates the phosphorus and potash and so on in a char from the original source so naturally the manure source has the advantage over say a timber source.

You have to use your head on all these studies to cut through what they were doing.

It'll never happen but if I ever had a large amount of innoculated char I wouldn't mind having a go at putting it down with a subsoiler with a gravel leg. And let the benefits spread out at depth.

Albert Bates tells of them using a keyline plough on their farm and putting down char with that and they've deepened their soil and increased the carbon content and they're doing that every year or bi annually for the last 15 or 20years.

It'll be time to make and sourcing material that'll be constraints. It won't be looking for land to spread it on.

I'm not skirting round the question but that's the best way I can answer it.
The benefit is always to find a way of building soil life and a way to farm without or reducing buying in npk.

Castlekeeper · 15-02-2020 3:26pm

alps wrote: »

Need to get in someone's ear about it. Dairy lads are paying a levy towards a range of different trials, so this links to your experience. The board of teagasc is the place to lobby if you can at all get hold of one of them...

Look at the make up of same board to see the cause of the problem, intensive dairy farmers representing farm orgs or processors, plus reps from fertiliser and pharmaceutical industries or associated professions.

Castlekeeper · 15-02-2020 3:30pm

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

We did similar to bring a field back into production. The down side is rushed are really poor for bedding cattle on. No soakage but no problems with rushes when spread afterwards either.

I find they make excellent bedding for calves and calving pens, much better than straw. Having grass through them makes all the difference. No issue with the dung either.
I would consider a field producing bedding for me to be in production!

Castlekeeper · 15-02-2020 3:32pm

Say my name wrote: »

The RTE player really is useless.

It wouldn't load to watch it yesterday still got to watch about 12 ads.
So I watched it today. The biochar cooperative have noble aims. Whatever costs would be taken in administration?

But it's seriously easy to make char yourself. And more than likely if you have the resources to make it you'll have the use for it too.
Only thing I noted their kiln was a bit high to feed into. And no sprongs were being used. I got the plans for mine off a site in the U.S. that had developed pyramid kilns and the euro hitch for the loader was an essential addition for me. There's no point being a busy fool with a shovel.
If anyone wants the measurements of it send me on a private message.

But the process is simple. Set fire to a layer wait till it barely turns to ash on top. Then add another layer of feedstock and repeat and repeat till you reach the top or where ever if you don't want a full load.
Then turn on the tap with a pipe connected to an ibc tank that should be on a height higher than the kiln.
And when quenched you can lift the whole lot water and all and tip it in your slurry tanks.

You can give the char a bit of a poke around with something when it's cooking to break it into smaller bits if you want.

But yea not a bad piece on it. Carbon storage, ammonia trapping, land treatment and even ruminant addition to diet. It was all covered.
Me health and safety buddies would love all that especially the slurry stuff.

Would you not want it crushed/ milled for it to mix and have contact area?

Say my name · 15-02-2020 5:35pm

Castlekeeper wrote: »

Would you not want it crushed/ milled for it to mix and have contact area?

Well I'm only using miscanthus so it's fine enough as is.
But for timber char they recommend walking on it to break it up before composting for smallholders. So farm scale drive a tractor on it and use. It's easy broken when quenched.
It's a bit tougher made dry.

I don't think it's really meant to be dust either.

whelan2 · 09-04-2020 7:32pm

Great a repeat of last week's programme which was a repeat anyway

zetecescort · 22-10-2020 7:12pm

new series tonight at 8:30

NcdJd · 22-10-2020 8:46pm

zetecescort wrote: »

new series tonight at 8:30

Lovely to see flour being milled from Irish grain.

Panch18 · 22-10-2020 10:13pm

Tune in next week to see the assassination of the Irish dairy industry as we focus on dairy pollution in Courtmacsharry

That McSweeney one has already published a piece in the Guardian on the “industrial dairy farms” in that area and how they were responsible for the algae in the bay

We were only being buttered up with a nice organic flour story and a lad swapping sheep for cows

kk.man · 22-10-2020 10:24pm

Panch18 wrote: »

Tune in next week to see the assassination of the Irish dairy industry as we focus on dairy pollution in Courtmacsharry

That McSweeney one has already published a piece in the Guardian on the “industrial dairy farms” in that area and how they were responsible for the algae in the bay

We were only being buttered up with a nice organic flour story and a lad swapping sheep for cows

McCullough does my tree in too.

kk.man · 22-10-2020 10:25pm

Panch18 wrote: »

Tune in next week to see the assassination of the Irish dairy industry as we focus on dairy pollution in Courtmacsharry

That McSweeney one has already published a piece in the Guardian on the “industrial dairy farms” in that area and how they were responsible for the algae in the bay

We were only being buttered up with a nice organic flour story and a lad swapping sheep for cows

McCullough does my tree in too.

Panch18 · 22-10-2020 10:26pm

kk.man wrote: »

McCullough does my tree in too.

God he sickens my stomach looking at him, and worse listening to him

Beechwoodspark · 22-10-2020 10:26pm

Mcsweeney is very much an organic is best vegan type

alps · 22-10-2020 11:32pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Mcsweeney is very much an organic is best vegan type

Was surprised she downed the oyster..

memorystick · 22-10-2020 11:43pm

kk.man wrote: »

McCullough does my tree in too.

A stones if ever there was one.

Say my name · 23-10-2020 10:18am

Big difference in nitrate releases in the Castledockrell and Ballycanew catchments.
And that's tillage land and with the least amount in derogation on an upwards trend.

https://twitter.com/TeagascEnviron/status/1319565214942101504?s=20

Panch18 · 23-10-2020 10:37am

alps wrote: »

Was surprised she downed the oyster..

it was through gritted teeth

Water John · 23-10-2020 11:32am

Say my name wrote: »

Big difference in nitrate releases in the Castledockrell and Ballycanew catchments.
And that's tillage land and with the least amount in derogation on an upwards trend.

https://twitter.com/TeagascEnviron/status/1319565214942101504?s=20

Tillage ground with shallow soil depth overlaying limestone is the biggest leacher.
Wells can change quite quickly and go over 25 which then becomes a concern.

endainoz · 23-10-2020 11:35am

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Mcsweeney is very much an organic is best vegan type

Just because you support regenerative farming dosent make you a vegan for gods sake. Ella McSweeney has often supported Irish beef and rare breed meats on her social media pages, not something a vegan would do.

And McCullough is a conventional farmer, that might have had his eyes opened a bit from attending bio farm last year. He wrote an interesting article on it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/business/farming/agri-business/darragh-mccullough-ground-up-instead-of-round-up-inspires-me-to-think-more-like-an-environmentalist-38682511.html

Open-mindedness is a good thing, plenty here could benefit from it.

GrasstoMilk · 23-10-2020 11:41am

Water John wrote: »

Tillage ground with shallow soil depth overlaying limestone is the biggest leacher.
Wells can change quite quickly and go over 25 which then becomes a concern.

No green cover to hold nutrients aswell

Say my name · 23-10-2020 12:04pm

Water John wrote: »

Tillage ground with shallow soil depth overlaying limestone is the biggest leacher.
Wells can change quite quickly and go over 25 which then becomes a concern.

Tillage is a problem the world over with nitrate leaching. Quite literally there's little life in the soil to hold onto nutrients and above there's times there's no plant life to mop it up either.
I'd include maize as tillage. It's up there as the worst for nitrate leaching over winter and after harvest.
It's probably included in this country as livestock farming though..

There's a definite anti bias against livestock in this country from the epa, the greens, rte, ear to the ground.
I won't change my mind on that opinion till I hear it acknowledged that tillage (breaking open the soil) and lack of ground cover is a problem in this country.
It's acknowledged in other parts of the world but here it's not with the continuing attacks on livestock to reduce numbers for accounting emissions, the anti livestock farming brigade, the pro renewable energy sectors and the wilder groups.

Darragh McCullagh can tweet about ploughing fields on Twitter and not one word against it.
A farmer from Cork puts up a field of cows grazing and they're called an environmental terrorist.

NcdJd · 23-10-2020 12:51pm

Having a ham and cheese toasty while reading this thread. Would not be possible without tillage, dairy and livestock.

I thank you all for this magical food experience

Panch18 · 23-10-2020 12:54pm

Say my name wrote: »

Tillage is a problem the world over with nitrate leaching. Quite literally there's little life in the soil to hold onto nutrients and above there's times there's no plant life to mop it up either.
I'd include maize as tillage. It's up there as the worst for nitrate leaching over winter and after harvest.
It's probably included in this country as livestock farming though..

There's a definite anti bias against livestock in this country from the epa, the greens, rte, ear to the ground.
I won't change my mind on that opinion till I hear it acknowledged that tillage (breaking open the soil) and lack of ground cover is a problem in this country.
It's acknowledged in other parts of the world but here it's not with the continuing attacks on livestock to reduce numbers for accounting emissions, the anti livestock farming brigade, the pro renewable energy sectors and the wilder groups.

Darragh McCullagh can tweet about ploughing fields on Twitter and not one word against it.
A farmer from Cork puts up a field of cows grazing and they're called an environmental terrorist.

You’ve nailed it there Say

Say my name · 23-10-2020 1:34pm

Panch18 wrote: »

You’ve nailed it there Say

I probably should have worded maize ground as intensive livestock production.
Just because I bet that's what the epa labels it as such.
When in the future it'll be grown for A.D. digesters then it will be called nitrates from maize ground but then a compulsory grown understorey will have to be included.
But for now no understorey. Nitrates leaching. Intensive livestock production.

_Brian · 23-10-2020 1:38pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Mcsweeney is very much an organic is best vegan type

Pretty sure she ate a live organism on the program last night so she’s no vegan anyway.

It will be interesting to see how this article plays out.

Appears they have a correlation between dairy farming and the algae but any good scientist knows that correlation doesn’t equal causation but rather means more research is required.

Water John · 23-10-2020 1:58pm

In fairness farmers have tightened up their use of nutrients on soil bug time. 30 years ago we were all lashing out too much. It was relatively cheap and we were told to.
If their is more room to take more value using less nutrient input we should avail of it. Min and zero till options should be researched more.

23-10-2020 2:43pm

Say my name wrote: »

There's a definite anti bias against livestock in this country

100%

Any measure that see's a reduction in livestock is like a God to be worshipped.

alps · 23-10-2020 3:13pm

_Brian wrote: »

Pretty sure she ate a live organism on the program last night so she’s no vegan anyway.

It will be interesting to see how this article plays out.

Appears they have a correlation between dairy farming and the algae but any good scientist knows that correlation doesn’t equal causation but rather means more research is required.

https://www.water.ie/news/completion-of-new-courtma/

"Decades long of untreated sewage discharges in the harbour"

_Brian · 23-10-2020 8:30pm

alps wrote: »

https://www.water.ie/news/completion-of-new-courtma/

"Decades long of untreated sewage discharges in the harbour"

Yes I’ve often criticised the poor sewage treatment destroying our waterways. But that doesn’t deter me from the possibility that the recent expansion of dairy in the area isn’t a problem.

We can’t say, but look that’s bad too so it’s ok if dairy pollutes even more on top. Truth is all sources of pollution need addressing. This being a farming forum we need to know if there is a farming aspect to the pollution and own that.

Ear to the ground

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